Naruto and the Shinobi Gari
by Hikaru Kurosaki
Summary: During the mission to the Land of the Waves, Gato has hired another bounty hunter to do assist Zabuza and Haku. And our hero, Naruto finds him trapped in an executioner yard. This was NaruxOnePiece but I used traits in Zoro that didn't feel like him so I used my OC who is heavily based on him, there are still OP elements that are as prominent as if it were an Xover. OCxIno
1. The Mission

Naruto: The Marimo Shinobi

_In the Hokage Tower_

Team 7 were standing in front of the Hokage's desk as they had completed their mission to retrieve the Fire Daimyo's cat, Tora for the 85th time that week. Team 7 was made up of three fresh out of the academy genin: Sasuke Uchiha, the Rookie of the Year and the lone survivor of the Uchiha massacre. For the most part, he was quiet and ignored everybody while his whole aura and the way he carried himself made it seem as if he believed he was better than everyone present. He was wearing a dark blue high collared shirt with the Uchiha Clan emblem on his back, white shorts and blue sandals. He had raven black hair in the shape of a duck's backside and onyx-colored eyes, he was a very handsome boy which coupled with his brooding and skill gained him the attention of many girls between the ages of 10-16. He wore a blue forehead protector with a symbol of a lead etched into it. Next to him, reveling in his presence was Sakura Haruno. She was a very intelligent girl and had a bright future ahead of her, but alas, her potential was being restrained by her unsurpassed rabid fangirl state of mind, she loved every moment with the Uchiha and would constantly pester him for dates constantly, despite the brooding boy's consistent rejections. She had lusterous, long pink hair which fell to her back and jade green eyes, the same forehead protector tied on her head, she also wore a long red, chinese-style dress with black bicycle shorts underneath for mobility. Her most notable feature, however, was a larger than normal forehead. There was a white circle on the back of her dress, the symbol of the Haruno family. And last, but not least, was Naruto Uzumaki. He had bright blonde hair, sapphire blue eyes and a blue forehead protector tied around his forehead. He had on a hideous and blinding, bright orange jump suit with a white high collar and blue shoulders with a red swirl on his back. The strangest feature about him besides his outfit, were the 6 whisker-like marks on his cheeks, three on each one. They made him resemble a fox.

Usually, Naruto was all smiles and laughter, BUT considering this was their 85th time catching Tora and they still weren't getting higher-ranked missions, he had to say something to end the madness. "Old man. I'm sick of these stupid, pointless missions your giving us! Can't you give us something better like saving a princess from a power-crazy tyrant or slaying a sea-monster terrorizing a village?"asked Naruto as his eyes lit up at the thousands of exciting missions his mind came up with. Sakura, who had stopped basking in the Uchiha's "glory", heard Naruto's request and his disrespectful tone when addressing the elderly Hokage and hit him over the head while her inner-self was cheering Naruto on. '_CHA! GIVE US SOMETHING MORE CHALLENGING, YOU DAMNED OLD GEEZER! ONCE WE GET ONE, WE'LL SHOW SASUKE-KUN OUR GREAT SKILLS AND THEN HE WILL PROCLAIM HIS LOVE FOR US! SHANNARO!'_shouted Inner Sakura. Sasuke agreed with Naruto's statement, but he would never say it out loud for fear of losing his rep. The said-Hokage took in some of the smoke from his pipe and blew it out. "Kakashi-san, do you believe they are ready for a higher-ranking mission?"Sarutobi inquired as he continued smoking. Kakashi, the jounin in charge of Team 7, looked at the old war chief over the top of his pornographic novel. "Eh, they have been on a number of D-ranked missions, I believe they can handle a C-rank mission for now."said Kakashi. Sarutobi thought about this and looked over the genin once more. "Very well." Sarutobi finally said as he looked over the C-rank mission scroll. Sasuke and Sakura smirked '_CHAAAAA! THE POWER OF TRUE LOVE ALWAYS PREVAILS! SHANNARO!'_shouted Inner Sakura, Naruto had a similar reaction. "WOO-HOO, WE'RE FINALLY GOING ON A COOL MISSION! I CAN'T WAIT! What is it?"asked Naruto glancing at his grandfather-figure. "You will escort a bridge-builder back to his home country, the Land of Waves and protect him from any bandits during the journey as well as while he finishes building the bridge in his village. Bring in Tazuna!"commanded the Hokage as an old man with grey hair a bit on the plump side wearing a sleeveless v-neck shirt, an obi, pants and a pair of sandals. He wore glasses and a pointed hat along with a towel around his neck. He reeked of alcohol, which probably had to do with the fact that he was drinking from a sake bottle on his way in. "These brats are the ninja who are supposed to protect me on this mission? They all look like weak, cry babies who would run away at first sight of danger, especially the midget with the dumbass grin on his face."stated Tazuna. Naruto bellowed in laughter "Whose the midget with the dumbass grin on his face?"he asked looking at his teammates still laughing. Sasuke and Sakura stood next to him showing him theit obvious height differences. Unsurprisingly, Naruto charged at the bridge-builder yelling threats of death to him, but he was restrained by Kakashi's grip on his collar. Kakashi gave Tazuna an eye smile "Don't worry Tazuna-san. I am a Jounin, so I will make sure nothing goes wrong during this mission." while Naruto only furthered his attempts to free himself and kill Tazuna which made everyone in the room sweatdrop.

Once Naruto calmed down, Sarutobi cleared his voice to get everyone's attention. "And because you are not the only rookie genin team to ask for a better mission and to promote teamwork, Team 10 will be joining you."said Sarutobi. At that moment, Team 10 which consisted of Ino Yamanaka, an attractive, pale blonde girl in purple clothes, arm warmers, forehead protector worn like a belt and blue sandals, Shikamaru Nara, a lazy looking boy with black hair held up by a band, reminiscent of a pineapple, fishnet shirt with a short sleeved gray jacket over it, pants, forehead protector tied around his arm and blue sandals, the last genin was Chouji Akimichi, a chubby boy with spiky brown hair covered mostly by his forehead protector bandanna, a green jacket over a white shirt with the kanji for Food, brown pants, blue sandals and a bag of chips in his hands. Their sensei was Asuma Sarutobi who resembled a younger version of their Hokage, but in standard jonin uniform and a black forehead protector bandana as well as a cigarette in his mouth.

"Ah Kakashi, you were assigned to this mission, too?"asked Asuma as he and his team walked into the room next to Team 7 and Tazuna. "Looks like it. Your team certainly looks interesting."said Kakashi as he smirked underneath his mouth mask. Asuma grinned and looked over Team 7 "I could say the same about yours."he replied chuckling a bit. Ino smirked widely as she glomped Sasuke in front of Sakura. "Hey there Sasuke-kun! You are looking as gorgeous as ever and I bet you are strong enough to breeze through this mission with no sweat."she said as Sasuke was trying to get her off, but to no avail. Ino glanced at Sakura, who was furious at Ino's boldness "Dammit Ino-pig, get off of Sasuke-kun! He doesn't want you hugging him."Sakura shouted. Ino then pulled down the skin under her eye and stuck her tongue out "Jealous forehead?"teased Ino. Sakura then began screeching like a banshee and arguing with Ino with poor Sasuke in the middle between those two. "Ugh this mission is gonna be such a drag."said Shikamaru with a scowl. "Hehe you lazy bum, aren't you excited for this mission? I know I am."said Naruto. Shikamaru sighed and muttered something about "troublesome blondes". Kakashi then cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "As much fun as it is watching you all catch up, we have a mission to prepare for, so make sure to get all of your things ready for this mission in 2 hours then meet at the village gate."said Kakashi while Asuma just nodded in agreement. "Hai sensei!"said the genin and they left.

* * *

><p><em>2 hours later<em>

Naruto walked towards the gate with a backpack on filled with clothes, water, a ton of cup ramen, extra kunai and shuriken and 2 Fuma shuriken as well as a futon. He saw that Sasuke, Sakura, Chouji, Ino and Shikamaru had already arrived. "Where are Kakashi, Asuma and Tazuna?"asked Naruto looking around for them and as if on cue, the trio had appeared next to them in a swirl of leaves. "Yo!"said Kakashi and Asuma. Tazuna looked a bit nauseous from the Shunshin. "Is everyone ready?"asked Asuma, everyone nodded. "Alright, let's move out!"said Asuma and they walked out of the Village gate then Naruto started cheering. "Wewt! This is awesome!"yelled Naruto while the others just shook their head at his behavior. "He's even more energetic than before..troublesome..."guess who said that "Oh come on! This is the first time I've been outside the village. Hehe It's so exciting."said Naruto while grinning. "By the way, I should probably warn you guys."Kakashi suddenly said. "Recently, in the Land of Waves, there have been sitings of Hiko Shinkaze roaming around the area." Asuma, Tazuna, Shikamaru and Sakura looked at Kakashi in shock and slight fear. "What?"exclaimed Sakura. "Are you sure, Kakashi?"asked Asuma, Kakashi nodded his head. "Should we really be going on this mission then?"asked Asuma. "Don't worry, it's only one minor setback, besides he might not even be near our area and even if he is, we'll handle him as best as we can."said Kakashi which reassured Asuma, Tazuna and Shikamaru. "Who is Hiko Shinkaze?"asked Sasuke, curious as to what kind of person could cause two powerful jounin to be this cautious. "Yeah why are you guys so afraid of him?"asked Naruto '_What's so bad about this Hiko guy..?'_thought Naruto with a very confused expression. "Hiko Shinkaze is a famous bounty hunter..."started Asuma "He is from the Land of Iron, where the samurai originate, and he hunts anyone with a bounty. Many people have said he is extremely strong and as violent as a demon, but 3 times more horrifying."said Asuma with some going down his spine. "I heard he was a bloodthirsty beast who cuts down his bounties like an animal bent on carnage. He has been called nothing worse than a living, breathing demon in human form."said Tazuna shivering violently as he put in his knowledge of the terrifying man. The genin became very terrified now even Sasuke was a bit unnerved. Naruto was feeling a mix of terror and awe '_Wow! That guy sounds really strong and really scary at the same time. I hope I never meet him.'_Naruto thought. As they were walking, they passed a puddle in plain sight on the side of the road. Now, there has been no rain at all for 3 weeks, so what would a puddle be doing on the side of the road, you ask? Well, that's exactly what Kakashi and Asuma were pondering '_Must be a jutsu' _thought the jounin as they walked past it. At that moment, 2 shinobi in black cloaks and gauntlets with sharp, poisoned claws attached by a chain.

The shinobi dashed towards Kakashi and Asuma, wrapping their razor bladed chains around the two then pulled causing them to rip to bloody shreds. The genin and Tazuna looke on in terror and disgust. Naruto was especially shocked and kind of scared "Ka-Kakashi and Asu-Asuma are de-" he was cut-off by the enemy shinobi springing into action once again towards him "Die, brat!" they both said. Naruto shook off his fear long enough to form his favorite hand seal "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he shouted as two shadow clones appeared then they slid to the shinobi sliding right through their legs causing them to get knocked into the air as Sasuke jumped and kicked them both back and then threw a kunai into their chain making it lodge into a tree. Naruto threw a shuriken to hit the kunai's handle to make it go in deeper. The shinobi cursed that they were restrained, but didn't have much time to complain as Naruto and Sasuke were dashing at them with kunai drawn. Then, suddenly, they released the chain from their gauntlet, freeing themselves surprising Naruto and Sasuke. "Surprise surprise!" said one of the shinobi as he dashed towards Tazuna, but Sakura and Ino moved in front of him to block. The shinobi looked like he was going to tear right through them, but he suddenly stopped. "What the hell?" said the shinobi as he looked down to see his shadow connected to a long, black line which led to none other than lazyass, genius Shikamaru Nara. "Kagemane no Jutsu. Success."he said with a smirk as Chouji who had activated his clan's Baika no Jutsu, expanding into a large, round human ball then he rolled over the trapped shinobi at high speeds, knocking him out. The other shinobi seeing his partner's defeat sped towards Choji and kicked him towards Shikamaru, but Chouji reverted to normal size so they crashed into the ground. He continued to speed towards Tazuna, ready to shred Sakura and Ino, but they stood their ground even though they were terrified. However, Naruto ran blindly in front of them ready to take the hit for them causing him to get scratched by the shinobi's claws, but then suddenly two figures came out of nowhere kicking the shinobi back into a tree knocking him out. When Naruto focused more clearly, he saw that it was Kakashi and Asuma smirking. "Miss us?"said Kakashi. Everyone looked confused as hell "What the hell are you two doing alive?"Naruto asked shocked. "We saw you three get ripped to shreds."said Ino, then she looked over at where they were "killed" and saw two chopped up logs. "You were saying, Ino?"said Asuma grinning then he turned to the defeated nin.

An hour later, the enemy shinobi woke up, confused about where they were and why they were tied to a tree. "What the-"then they remembered and looked up seeing the Konoha-nin and Tazuna. "So you two are the Demon Brothers of the Mist."said Asuma staring at them with a hard glare. The said-duo kept silent as they cursed up a storm in their heads "How did you know about our ambush?"the two demanded. "A puddle on a sunny day when it hasn't rained for weeks. It was pretty suspiscious."said Kakashi. Kakashi then turned his gaze over to Tazuna who seemed taken aback by the seriousness in his expression. "Tazuna...we need to talk."said Kakashi "Ab-about what?"asked Tazuna, "Well you see, these two are Chunin from Kirigakure. They are trained to attack relentlessly no matter what."said Kakashi. "So what?"asked Tazuna now sweating bullets as he spoke. "So I even though I could've taken them out quickly before they even could start their assault, I needed to know who their target was. Me and Asuma, famous ninja with large bounties on our head, the entire group as ninja attacking ninja, or you, the master bridgebuilder. When you filed this mission, you never said anything about ninja hunting you down, just bandits and other low-level things. If you had mentioned foreign ninja attacks then the rank of the mission would have been B or higher and so would the cost of the mission."said Kakashi. Tazuna was now scared that he had been found out. "We are now beyond the scope of this mission and we also have to treat Naruto's poisoned wound."said Kakashi. Sakura and Ino nodded. Shikamaru really didn't care and Chouji just kept eating his chips. Naruto and Sasuke however, were itching for this opportunity, but Sasuke kept quiet. "Please, you don't understand. My people are in poverty and we could not afford a B-rank mission or higher. Even C-rank was a stretch, but all of the townspeople pitched in so that we could get help. Building this bridge is the only way we can change our lives. I swear once we gain the money from the bridge, we will pay for what the mission was worth."pleaded Tazuna. Naruto scowled then took a kunai from his pouch and stabbed his wound shocking all those present. "Na-Naruto!"shouted Sakura as she moved towards her teammate, but he turned from her as the poison bled out. "Old man...I won't let you down. Upon this wound, I solemnly swear to guard you with my life throughout the entire mission. Sasuke smirked then Shikamaru murmured a "troublesome" and then agreed to continue with the mission, Chouji agreed as well since Shikamaru was going. "I can't let the slackers go without some protection, so I'll go."said Sasuke then almost automatically Sakura and to a lesser degree, Ino agreed. "I don't know if we are exactly ready for this.."said Asuma. "It's ok. I'll just continue on this journey by myself, no doubt I'm going to get killed and then my poor grandson will be crying for his grandpa and then my daughter will have to sell herself as a prostitute to make ends meet and will curse Konoha forever."said Tazuna obviously guilting the jounin into it which caused everyone to sweatdrop.

"Well guys, I suppose we have no choice but to keep forward" said Kakashi with an eye smile as Asuma chuckled while blowing some smoke. The Genin all beamed and began heading towards the Land of the Waves!

**Chapter End**

Sorry guys, I know some of you must've been psyched that there was another One PiecexNaruto fic with the epic Roronoa Zoro as the main crossovee but I felt myself going in a direction where it wasn't Zoro anymore. Don't worry, Zoro lives on in my signature OC, Hiko. I'm sorry if some of you might be upset with the change but there was just stuff I wanted to do with this fic that needed a less apathetic and stern character, but its not as if Hiko lacks in those traits. Trust me, there is plenty of Zoro's traits and his own traits. Hiko is also based off of yours truly, who is a walking mass of complexes to say the least. Imagine as if Zoro wasn't born Zoro, but as a jet-black, fine wavy haired, with crimson eyes that resemble Naruto's when influenced by the Kyuubi minus the black slit, instead its just a typical round black pupil boy named Hiko who is just as obsessed with swordplay and even more obsessed about combat, martial arts and battle in general. You'll see what I mean if you stick around.

Ja Ne!


	2. The Encounter (Part 1)

_Timeskip (After first encounter with Zabuza and the Masked Boy)_

Team 7 and Tazuna finally got to Tazuna's house where they met his beautiful daughter, Tsunami who was whipping up some great smelling lunch and her distant son, Tazuna's grandson, Inari who simply greeted the shinobi with an aloof expression but managed to utter a just barely polite "Hi".

* * *

><p><em>After Lunch<em>

"Wow Tsunami, you are quite the cook. I haven't had a meal that good in a long time" said Kakashi with his trademark upside down U eye smile as the woman blushed at the compliment.

"Thank you, Kakashi-san. It's the least I can do for all of you for protecting my father and his employees as they help us break free of Gato's control.." she said as she looked down, the mood in the room darkening as Gato's name was mentioned.

"Say kids, why don't you all take some time for yourselves, train, explore the village, but come back by dinner time. Tomorrow, we will begin training together" said Asuma with Kakashi nodding in agreement. The genin all nodded then got up, thanking Tsunami on their way out.

"So guys, what do you wanna do!?" asked Naruto with his hands behind his head and broad grin on his face as he turned to them.

"Ugh…so troublesome, I just want to sleep" said you know who. "Oh come on Shikamaru," said Chouji "Let's go see what sort of restaurants this place has"

"Chouji, we just had lunch…." said Shikamaru.

"So?" he replied, a look on his face like 'You act like that's weird'. Ino simply shook her head as she and Sakura both got hearts in their eyes as they asked Sasuke

"Tch…" was all he said as he went off to go train…or he would have if Naruto hadn't grabbed him by the arm and took off towards town.

"Oh no you don't, teme! You are sticking with us!" he said as he laughed all the way to town

"NARUTO-BAKA! GET BACK HERE WITH SASUKE-KUN!" shouted Sakura and Ino in sync as they charged after them while Shikamaru and Chouji groaned then followed suit.

* * *

><p><em>In the town of the Land of Waves<em>

"Let! Go!" screamed Sasuke as he yanked his arm but to his surprise, he felt no resistance as he looked at Naruto who was looking at the town. Many of the townspeople were dirty, covered in rags and were trying to make shelter along the streets and in the alleyways. A lot of them were begging for money while others could be seen robbing the few vendors still up.

"Naruto, you baka!" screamed the two fangirls as they were about to bring their fists down on Naruto's head until they saw the sad sight and lost their anger.

"Kami…what happened?" asked Ino, looking rather sympathetically at a little girl who was searching the trash for food.

"Is this Gato's doing?" asked Chouji as he reached for another chip bag as he finished his first one, but as he opened it, he walked over to the little girl. She turned to him when she saw his shadow approaching and slowly backed away.

"Don't worry, little girl. I just want to give you some food, is all" he said with a gentle smile which the girl seemed to respond to as she slowly walked over and took the bag of chips which was being offered. She dug her hand into it and took out a chip, slowly eating it before her eyes widened and she smiled broadly, loving the taste as she then ran over to Chouji and hugged him before running off to go share the treat. Chouji chuckled as he turned to the genin who were staring at him in shock except Shikamaru.

"Whaat? Just because I love food doesn't mean I'm selfish! Geez…" he said, crossing his arms with a pout as Shikamaru smiled at his best friend. Ino and Sakura followed Chouji's example by handing little kids some candy they had in their bags. Naruto silently walked into the only open pub.

"Naruto, wait!" said Sakura as she followed after him, along with Ino, Sasuke and the rest. They saw Naruto standing just inside, watching as some large, beast of a man with grey tone of skin, brown hair and a patched-like horizontal scar on his forehead and his lackeys sat in the corner drinking large amounts of booze and making a ruckus, it seemed like they annoyed everyone in the pub but the bartender looked too scared to do anything about it.

Naruto was about to go say something but both Sasuke and Shikamaru grabbed him by the arms and shook their head to dissuade him. He glared but complied as they all sat down at the stools at the bar.

"Hahaha! Boys, we ain't leaving till we've drank every last drop of booze in this joint" said the man.

"Geez Billy, that's gotta be the fifth bar you've said that in today" said one of his lackeys as he laughed alongside Billy.

"What can I say? I'm thirsty BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" said Billy as he continued to drink. Shikamaru looked over at the bartender.

"Say, old timer, who is that guy?" he asked.

The bartender looked over at Shikamaru as he cleaned one of the mugs for drinking "You guys aren't from around here, are ya? That's Billy, one of the local bandits around here who have been taking advantage of the town's situation while Gato has us in this state. He's been stealing, pillaging, raping and taking all the bar's liquors for himself. He's a menace and he won't leave us alone, but he is too powerful and we don't have anyone to take care of him. There's a 5, 000,000 ryou bounty on his head…" said the bartender, looking a little ashamed. Sakura, Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru all looked extremely unnerved at the dangerous man behind them. Sasuke wasn't scared, but he did NOT want to get on the man's bad side before he could get revenge on his brother. Naruto, on the other hand, was filled with righteous anger over the fact that this scum was taking advantage of the people while they were struggling to survive, as a result of Gato's treatment.

He looked about ready to get up and say something but luckily, his fellow shinobi held him down and gagged him, one of them cursing Naruto's "troublesome" existence. Everyone in the pub immediately stopped what they were doing when a rather tall teen, about 5'7"-5'-9" who looked around 14, just a year older than the Genin in a tattered white, long sleeved shirt with the collar being red and two red stripes going from the collar down the side of both sleeves, the shirt hanging loosely off of his well-toned upper body much to Ino's and Sakura's delight, though Sakura tried to shake her head of such blasphemous thoughts, and dark colored pants that stopped just under his calves, revealing his muscular legs and his feet in sandals. The boy had tanned skin which was covered in a layer of dirt from some kind of labor and he had fine, wavy, jet-black hair that was mostly covered by an old straw hat with a roundish top and a red ribbon wrapped around it as its wide, circular brim cast a shadow over his face, his face was void of any baby fat, with fairly high cheekbones and straight nose that made him look aristocratic, like a prince or handsome knight in a fairy tale or an elf, a narrow mouth, wonderfully sculpted lips, an angular chin and face along with slightly thick dark eyebrows over mesmerizing, intense blood-red eyes with a solid black pupil in the center which was under long eyelashes and three gold, rod-like earrings hanging from his left ear, making the females in the room blush to no end at the beautiful boy before them. He walked across the room from the door, carrying a long katana which seemed to be covered in a porcelain-colored sheath with the same colored hilt but no guard. He sat down at the stool next to Naruto and laid his sword on the bar, not paying attention to the genin as they all went back to their seats. Billy and his crew were eyeing the boy, a tension forming in the air due to their hostility.

"Gimme somethin' to eat, will ya?" asked the boy, his voice conveying his exhaustion and starvation.

"Got money?" asked the bartender, eyeing the boy and his sword a little, being put on guard ever since the likes of Billy hung around his pub.

"Well not at the moment….." said the boy and the bartender slowly reached for a knife under the table as he thought the boy was going to strike once he saw his grip on his katana's hilt tighten "but I will…right after I collect the bounty that's sitting at the table back there" he said his voice filled with boundless confidence, resolve, and killing intent that frightened 6 Genin beside him to no end, feeling almost like they were back in the fight with Zabuza. However, everyone was shocked at this man's gall and his face showed no sign that he was bluffing or blowing hot air.

Billy's crew all stood up, grabbing their swords as they directed the full might of their hostile glares, which didn't seem to affect the boy at all, but got everyone else terrified while Billy stood with a sadistic grin, his tongue sticking out as his cheeks were tinted red from his constant drinking.

"You've got it all wrong, stranger! Hehehe, 'cause I'm goin to cut you into bite-sized PIECES!" said Billy as he flipped his table over after the last word and dashed at the boy with speed that was deceptively higher than thought possible for a man of his build which caught the 6 Genin off guard as the boy sat at his stool, brandishing a massive cutlass which had a large slab of metal for a blade that seemed to be missing some chunks in the stroke of the blade and in the dull side, but retained its shape and a jagged edge as he brought it down with all of his strength onto the boy. The boy remained silent as he rose his sword arm up to intercept the swing, having used his thumb to slightly unsheathe the blade so that a portion of the blade would be open, perfectly intercepting the blade and holding off the man's strength effortlessly with one arm, though Billy's sword was shaking against the boy's as he tried to overpower him but to no avail.

'_Whoa! What kind of strength does this guy have?!' _thought Sasuke, a little envious at how easily the boy who wasn't much older than he, was handling the beast of a man that was Billy.

'_Damn! This guy is awesome, I wonder if he'll teach me how to do that!' _thought Naruto, having lost his anger at Billy and had stars in his eyes at how cool this new kid was.

'_He is stronger than he looks…' _thought Shikamaru.

_'__**Holy crap, I've never seen that kind of power**__…what are you talking about?! Sasuke-kun could easily beat this guy!' _thought that's right, you guessed it, Sakura.

'_Wow…good looking and strong. Whoa, where did that come from? Sasuke-kun is the only one for me!' _thought Ino, but a little reluctantly which she didn't understand

'_Huh…I wonder if this place sells chips…'_ thought Chouji

"I hope you'll forgive me. I usually put up more of a fight, but I haven't eaten today…" said the boy as the bartender in front of him looked petrified at the sight before him. "Answer me this, handsome…you _do _have a bounty on your head, right?" asked the boy as Billy simply chuckled and grinned.

"Yeah, it's a big one too! Last time I checked it was 5 million!" said Billy, thinking his answer would terrify the boy or cause him to lower his guard enough for him to be able to land a blow.

"Really…? Then I'll be eating well heh…" said the boy with a cheeky smirk that had Ino blushing, while Sakura was trying to hide her blush.

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Billy as the boy easily pushed him back with one arm, causing him to lose his balance as in a motion that anyone could barely see, he had gotten up and whipped out his….sword (you perverts :p) with his other hand and carved into his chest with so much force that Billy flew back several meters with blood spraying from the lengthy gash on his torso.

'_HOLY CRAP! I COULDN'T EVEN SEE THIS GUY MOVE AND HE TOOK THIS GUY OUT IN ONE BLOW!' _exclaimed Naruto, now jumping up and down in his head at how cool this guy was. Similar thoughts ran through Shikamaru's and Chouji's heads while Inner Sakura also agreed, she was countered with Sakura's denial.

'_What the hell…why does some no-name punk get this power, I deserve to have that power. I need it to kill Itachi…' _thought an irritated Sasuke who also noticed his fangirls, mostly Ino, starting to take more and more of an interest in this new enigma and he couldn't help but feel both a pang of jealousy and relief that someone took them off his hands.

'_Damn, it's a shame he doesn't live in Konoha…uggghhhh stop Ino! He isn't that great and you are in love with Sasuke-kun…' _Ino thought to herself, though not with the same conviction as before.

Billy's crew just looked shocked and terrified as the boy sheathed his blade and sat back down in his stool before they all ran off.

"You heard what he was worth, now get me some grub!" said the boy to the bartender who was snapped out of his stupor and quickly scrambled to get his apron on.

"Yes sir! Right away, sir!" said the bartender who was so happy to have someone take care of his problem and a little scared that not only it was a boy, but that he handled someone of Billy's caliber as if he were a baby.

"Hey..." started Naruto to the other Genin. "That was amazing, right?! You guys think he is that Hiko Shinkaze we've heard so much about? The one that's supposed to be really brutal" he asked as they all began to ponder it as it did make sense.

"Nah…I overheard Asuma-sensei saying that guy carries three swords and is around his late teens to early 20's, this kid only has one and barely looks older than us. And he also said one of the swords is supposed to be famous with a pitch black blade and the guy looked like a demon in the form of a man. This kid looks homeless" said Shikamaru with the other resident braniac, Sakura confirming that Kakashi-sensei had said something similar. They all stared at the boy as a hot plate of rice and peas was laid before him and he started to dig in, devouring the food almost as fast Naruto did with ramen. Naruto felt himself grin broadly at the guy's appetite as did Chouji, while Shikamaru felt some tension he felt from the guy leave him at seeing the boy in such a state and even felt a smirk tug at his lips. Sasuke and Sakura rolled their eyes in slight disgust at the boy's lack of manners while Ino hadn't taken her eyes off the boy for a second, the corners of her mouth twitching as the boy inhaled his food.

"Ino, you alright?" asked Sakura, a little concerned that her former friend and current rival in love hadn't said anything. She noticed Ino's pale blue eyes staring and she got a coy smile on her face. "You aren't, per chance, crushing on this new guy, are you? It's okay if you wanted to find other guys because you know Sasuke-kun is mine" teased Sakura as Ino's cheeks burned red at Sakura's taunts.

"Shut up, Forehead! Sasuke-kun and I are soul mates, I'd never cheat on him with some scruffy-looking loser!" she said a little snobbishly. The boy's crimson eyes narrowed toward their direction for a brief moment, hinting that he had heard which caused Ino to blush even more in embarrassment and, to some degree, shame as she played over her last comment in her head, not liking the way she sounded. Naruto, however, simply walked over to the boy.

"Naruto-baka, what are you doing!?" yelled Sakura as she saw where he was going.

"Damn it, Forehead, control your team mate!" scolded Ino.

"Naruto!" exclaimed Shikamaru, his eyes widening at the sight.

"Hey Naruto, wait!" said Chouji while Sasuke simply sat there.

"Hey! I was gonna take that guy out, you can't just walk in here then beat him up after I saw him first!" Naruto screamed as he gave the boy a glare while the boy simply looked at him.

"….What?" questioned the boy causing the other Genin to sweatdrop and fall over anime style.

"Unlike you, I was waiting for him to leave so I didn't make any extra trouble for the pub" said Naruto, still glaring at the boy while his fellow shinobi rose an eyebrow, seeing right through that lie so they decided to calm down and see what Naruto was up to.

"I had dibs on the guy you took out, hmph!" said Naruto as he crossed his arms and scowled at the boy.

"…Huh?" the boy said before he went right back to eating which seemed to infuriate Naruto.

"HEY! I'M TALKIN' HERE, JERK!" yelled Naruto, his voice ringing through the pub. "You can't just waltz in here and-" he was cut off by the sound of the boy dropping his spoon onto the empty plate and he jerked back, a little cautious that the sudden movement meant the boy was about to attack.

"Zoro…." Started the boy "Have any of you ever heard of a Roronoa Zoro?" asked the boy.

"THE Zoro?" asked Sakura. "First Mate of the legendary Straw Hat Pirates, Creator and Master of the Santoryu and the greatest swordsman in the world?" she said, showing off her smarts.

"Sakura-chan, how'd you know about that Zoro guy?" asked Naruto as he turned to her while she and the other nin shook their heads.

"Baka! If you had paid any attention in class, we studied about him and the crazy Straw Hat Pirates" she said.

"I'm on a mission to find him and defeat him. Once I do, I'll become the greatest swordsman in the world and I'll be another step closer to attaining my ultimate goal. I do collect bounties like him, but only to earn enough money to eat. I don't consider or call myself a bounty hunter, but from the looks of those forehead protectors, you guys aren't either. I don't know what sort of mission Leaf nin take that involve bounties of this trash in different countries especially one like the Land of the Waves but I apologize if I interfered" said the boy, bowing his head slightly to Naruto and the other shinobi.

'_Tch…what a loser, he is bowing to strangers? But his dream…its odd but I doubt some dirty kid will make it' _ thought Sasuke

'_Huh…he is actually humble for a kid with his strength. I know that Naruto or Sasuke would love to showboat that power but he is being totally respectful to Naruto who was being the complete opposite, and to us, too, when he could wipe the floor with any of us, even Sasuke would probably have trouble with this guy' _thought Shikamaru.

'_Wow, I don't think I've ever seen a guy our age that humble. Even Sasuke-kun is pretty cocky whenever he says anything, but this guy is not only respectful, but he is working hard to reach his goal. I'm guessing that's why he is covered in dirt, since you have to train if you want to beat someone' _thought Ino, showcasing her impressive deduction skills and keen intellect which couldn't be compared to Shikamaru's or Sakura's but was mighty high in its own right.

"Hah! The greatest swordsman in the world? You hear that, Sasuke-kun? Haha, I highly doubt that'll happen. You look more like the world's greatest bum to me" said Sakura, laughing at her own joke.

"Yeah, that's pretty far-fetched, guy" said Ino, a little more than skeptical of this guy's dreams.

"As a kid, that's part of what I made up my mind to do so I'm going to do it, despite what you say" said the boy as Naruto was dumbstruck, finding someone with his determination and resolve who had to endure other people taunting his dream but unlike him, this guy just took it and respected other's people opinion, but strived to prove them wrong instead of arguing, something he actually took into account. The boy then stood up suddenly, startling the genin as he grabbed his sword.

"Sorry if you guys staked a claim on him. Tell you what, I'll let you guys take him and keep the reward money, too" said the boy as a smirk made its way across his face, revealing his flawlessly white, incisor teeth which Ino couldn't help but blush at as he turned and started walking to the door as everyone's eyes widened at his words.

"REALLY!?" asked Naruto, Chouji and Sakura, money signs in their eyes at the thought of what they could buy as the boy simply chuckled on the way out.

"Yep! Just so long as you guys pay for my lunch" he said just before pushing the doors open and leaving.

"Haha so that guy wasn't a jerk after all! I was hoping he wasn't!" exclaimed Naruto

"So that's why you did it" Shikamaru said as he put it together, while Naruto turned and gave him a foxy grin

"Yeah, that guy was super cool but I was hoping to see if he was a prick like Sasuke-teme" said Naruto as Sasuke glared at him and his loyal followers pounding Naruto over the head in his honor.

"Damn Naruto! What if he turned out to be a jerk, then we could've been in danger!" said Ino

"Until Sasuke-kun would rescue us all!" added Sakura with hearts replacing her jade green eyes as everyone else, even Ino rolled their eyes at her.

* * *

><p><em>Timeskip to after they turn in Billy and go back to Tazuna's house, having split the money between the six of them <em>

As they all ate dinner, the Genin started telling the adults and Inari about what happened at the pub, surprising the Jounin with the tale of the boy's strength.

"Did you guys get the name of this boy?" asked Asuma

"Oh…I knew there was something I forgot to do!" complained Naruto as the others at the table besides Inari sweatdropped.

"Anyways, it probably wasn't Hiko Shinkaze. From your description of him, he is too young and didn't have the appropriate amount of swords. But enough about him, get some rest after you've eaten up. Tomorrow you'll begin your training. We need to prepare to face Zabuza again" said Kakashi, his nose still buried in his famous Icha Icha book as Tazuna, Tsunami and the shinobi all became shocked.

"WHAT!? But Asuma-sensei, he is dead! We saw him get killed!" said Chouji

"Yeah, that Hunter-nin took care of him, right?" Ino tried to reason

"Well yes, we did see someone in a Kirigakure's Hunter-nin's mask deal what we thought to be a death blow to Zabuza" said Asuma as he took another drag of his cigarette before putting it out in an ashtray near him.

"But you see, senbon are an uncommon tool especially for Hunter-nin. They are usually used for acupuncture and things of that nature. You have to be extremely precise and have a thorough knowledge of the body's nerves and pressure points to be able to use them efficiently. Another thing, as a Hunter-nin, your orders are to burn the body on the spot, but the person we met took the body with them, even though they said they were supposed to retrieve the body. Asuma and I were too exhausted to realize in time the situation, but if one was as proficient with senbon as we speculate Zabuza's accomplice to be, you'd be able to use them to activate a spot in the body that causes the body to go into a near death-like state. It normally would take Zabuza a week from now to recover but because he was so injured and exhausted, I estimate for it to take a month at most so we have time to get you all stronger for the battle to come" said Copy Ninja as he gave another eye smile. With that, the shinobi groaned as they helped Tsunami by washing their own plates and going to bed.

* * *

><p><em>On the outskirts of town in the local blacksmith's forge<em>

The boy from earlier walked up the stone steps to the forge, holding his stomach as he groaned from not having food again.

"Ugh…I should've taken SOME of the money to eat dinner" said the boy as he got closer to the forge. "Huh...so those are Konoha genin? They didn't look too strong, but the girls were really cute. They were kind of snobbish though, I don't think they would go for me" he pondered as he got to the forge.

"Have you finished honing the sword I brought in for you?" asked the boy to the blacksmith who was hammering another sword in front of him as he pointed to the wall which held an elegant looking, beautiful katana in a pure white sheath, the bottom of it being covered in gold with a hilt wrapped in white cloth decorated with a gold diamond design and a gold round guard.

"I spent a lot of time on it. You shouldn't be so reckless with such a priceless and high caliber sword. If it had been a normal sword, it would've met the fate of the other two swords you brought in" said the blacksmith, scolding the youth.

"I know, I'm sorry and I will…" the boy said as he drew the sword, revealing its stainless, just as beautiful blade which easily reflected the boy's face as if it were a mirror and its edge looked very sharp as the tip of the sword gleamed gloriously "This is exceptional work, pal" he said as he grinned broadly at the man, causing the blacksmith to sputter in embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Ehehe oh it was nothing…"

"I'd like to pay you a little extra, but unfortunately, I'm a little broke right now" the boy said grudgingly as the blacksmith looked up at him with a smile

"Don't mention it. It's not often I get to work with such a quality piece of steel. That thing's a work of art unlike this longsword I loaned you" said the blacksmith as the boy gave him the sword he used to make short work of Billy "Thanks for bringing it back in one piece, by the way" he said as he unsheathed it slightly before the blade broke in two, causing him to fall anime style.

"Or should I say, two…dang kid, do you have to be so rough? You break every sword you get your hands on" he said as the boy scowled and cursed.

"Damn it…I thought I was more careful. I'm sorry, I'll find some way to repay you" said the boy

"Fine, you can pay me back by working for me for a month. I need someone to help me while I get my business up and running, I don't even have a name for my shop yet" said the blacksmith as the boy hesitated, not wanting to spend so much time there but he reluctantly agreed, much to the blacksmith's chagrin. "We have to help the construction workers with their building of the bridge that will free this land from Gato's tyranny!" exclaimed the blacksmith with pride and rebellion dancing in his eyes as he stood with his hammer held over his head as if he were a proud warrior.

"Wow…that's quite the risk you all are taking there" said the boy. _'Damn so even this nice old man's in on the rebellion...am I on the right side...? No, I'm getting too deep in this country's affairs...' _thought the boy as he felt guilt eat away at his insides for some reason.

"That's what people do when their freedom is at stake…and it especially riles me up because this is part of the reason I became a blacksmith. To be able to be a part of great achievements such as this with my craft, to assist those with the will to do great things in some way" said the blacksmith as he started working on more tools with a smile. "Why do you fight?" he asked the boy. The boy, who was trying to familiarize himself with the tools, looked up as if about to answer but no words came from his mouth.

"…I never really thought about it. It's just been something I decided I would do as a kid. I don't know why or how I developed the passion…"said the boy as he looked down in embarrassment.

"Ha! Don't worry kid, you're still young. I'm sure you'll find it as you grow older!" the blacksmith said with a grin, "Now go rest up because this whole week is crucial for you to get work done and help with the bridge construction." The boy nodded as he went to go inside the cottage by the forge but was stopped when the blacksmith spoke up once more.

"Oh, kid. Here's another thing I love about blacksmithing. It's the sparks…the light within the darkness of this forge makes me think even with the most unlikeliest ways such as combat and forging weapons, they can still be used to create light to clash against the injustices of the darkness of the world…HAHAHA or maybe they are just pretty to look at and I'm just overthinking it. There is just something about being the one to cause the sparks to fly, your work being the reason for the light…" said the blacksmith as the boy smiled broadly though not wanting to show it.

"Geez old man, all that thought over some sparks? You should get some more human interaction and stop thinking too much about everything…" the boy said as he tried to keep the smile from being apparent in his voice as he continued walking just as the blacksmith cracked a smile of his own.

"Heh…ungrateful brat…" said the blacksmith.

**Chapter End**


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